Chapter Nine #2
It sounds reasonable but we’re on high and I have a Protector team that’s on a shadow shift to Cline’s team. I’m not feeling it for how this is playing out. I accepted Pepper’s team but it was with two Protector Officers and a full experienced team.
“Pres, my team isn’t here.” I point out.
“Mase, get the chopper over Asa and the shadow team. Sophie is right we need him covered better than a shadow team and Sophie. We convinced her to leave her team.”
My eyes go right to Seth but I can’t see his through his mirrored visor.
“We can wait on the lookout, VP.” His head barely shakes but it’s a no motion.
“Get your bike and push, Mase.” Pres has everyone laughing. I think he means the magic push, but either way, I breathe easy.
We sit and wait. Asa looks over the scenic lookout. This isn’t as scenic as the other two on this winding road. It’s a long view of the river from this angle. The chopper sounds loud but it’s flying higher than this mountain. Sound bouncing isn’t the place to be right now.
“If it sounds this loud, the wind will be wicked,” I tell Asa and bend for him to climb on.
“Thanks. Brothers fuckin crazy.”
The little VP makes me laugh. He’s right though.
“What the fuck? Get the chopper out of here. It’s too low for a river valley!” Pres Kristos isn’t happy. The chopper doesn’t rise. My gun is out. “Asa, keep us covered.”
His arm goes over my shoulder to hold my neck so he can turn and aim.
I feel his little boot on my belt. He fires blue lasers.
I turn back not waiting to see how the chopper took that.
“Pepper, get him hooked to his bike. Tip one so I can get Asa covered. Get your team in place to cover Pres, Seth and Asa. Cline?” I yell over the chopper not seeing him around the men.
“Got Pres from the roadside.” Shots are firing and I don’t know if it’s us or them. I switch to laser as I’m bending so Seth can get Asa under a bike.”
I hear Ops but can’t answer. “Pepper, do not let him be crushed or fly in the wind! Asa, hold the hell on!”
“Go, Boss Sophie. I good to go.” He shoots his laser at the chopper while he puts his other arm through a belt someone has on the bike tire.
Seth catches my eye and nods. Standing, I walk right for the chopper while shooting. The gunner falling gives time for a quick clip change and I’m at it again. The chopper lifts up but I don’t know how far it’s going to get. “Ops, it’s hit. Copilot dead, pilot hit, fuel flowing out of it.”
The shooting draws me back to the roadside.
My eyes search for Asa first. A bike is in flames but it’s in the road as far away as it can get from the other bikes.
Flipping back to laser, I stand over the bike that’s holding Asa and smile seeing his laser shots flying between Kristos Seth and Cline who is standing almost in front of Kristos.
My finger engages as Mase shows on the side of Cline. I lift my arm up and breathe. Magic isn’t easy in a gunfight. I’m glad for the ‘lock and load’ habit I have.
Seth looks back and I shoot two consecutive rounds at the MERC aiming for him. He turns back to the road as a black SUV stops. Laser off, I shoot the tires I see. They are not getting away that easy. The doors and windows don’t open and it speeds away as the air is hissing out of the tires.
I bend. “You okay, Asa?” We hear the bikes whizzing by but I don’t look.
“Yeah, I shoot feet and tire. Good you say tether me. Chopper pull me hard.” He shows me his arm.
“You got burnt. Let me clean and cover it. We’ll get some better salve on it at the Club.”
He nods and waits for me to pull shit from under my seat. The hissing is faint but I see my tire was hit by a sliver of metal. Seth is talking to Ops. I leave it alone figuring he’s dealing. Kristos is with Mase getting his head checked. I get back to Asa. “Pepper, your team okay?”
“Yeah, what can I do? Cline has his Brother and is still covering Pres and Seth.” He needs a job.
“Gauze for Asa and Pres, my little kit isn’t enough.” I have no idea what happened to Pres or if he needs more gauze. I know I do.
I sit on the ground and Asa gets on his knees. “Coat cover higher.” He lifts his sleeve and I see red but unbroken skin.
“Yeah. I’m glad it isn’t the lion’s tail.” I smile at his nod. He’s very proud of his ink.
Seth says loud enough for us all to hear with sirens and bikes closing in. “Nash sent a missile into the chopper. It was headed toward the coast. Same registry as the chopper that went for the island people who went missing.”
There were four men that hid from the Badass dinner cruise ship. Two were held and transported to, or by, Prince Brothers. I was already tipsy by the time the news got to me.
So, this Alder or any Alpha-Bit thing isn’t done.
Mucimi has me jumping. “Pres’ head was bleeding. I’ll get salve on Asa.” I don’t know why I say it out loud. He can read it.
He’s gone that fast. Asa looks at me and giggles sounding adorable. I laugh with him and get his aloe lotioned arm covered. Pepper has good timing; I need another gauze to cover it right.
§*§*§
US - Canadian border
Rescue job
Hud
The trail is easy, run is good, I think, as we make the end of the tree line in twenty-seven minutes.
It wasn’t quite five miles. I train for five in thirty-one to match my Ranger time.
Muscle memory took some time to match but I did match it and know I can do it faster in the robotic.
Slowing down, I think, I stick with the five in thirty-one for Jeff, for Mario, for me and everyone that lost pieces for whatever lie we were told we’re protecting.
They got my foot but I didn’t lose more than the skin and bones.
“Hold up, Brother. We need to enter undetected. Night vision for hotspots.”
Havoc puts his board up and a map shows. I don’t ask where he got the map or who is putting comments on the side of it. I look for red indicating hotspots. I guess, in Badass the marks show in yellow, until they’re gone.
“Where…” I read the side; the feed is looped. I don’t ask who is doing it. “Thanks, IT.”
We run, me hunched down and following my K9 partner that’s smarter than me. “Let me check it,” I say when we get to the first fence. I recheck top and bottom then pull the dirt from around the metal post. It’s not wired. Leaning into it from three feet away, I tell him, “go right over me.”
Havoc has done this before and uses me like a springboard going over the fence and razor wire. I climb and use my foot like Havoc used me. Balancing on the top of the fence, I put my good foot back and bounce hard with the robotic. Flipping over the wire I can’t believe I clear it.
“You could have cut the wire.”
“Who’s talking?” I whisper, landing in a crouch. Havoc is waiting like he doubted I’d make it. I surprised me too so I don’t give him shit.
“Your Ops control, Phoenix Knight. The feed is looped but the satellite is jamming so you need to use night vision for high tech draw.”
“Roger, thanks.”
I follow Havoc to the dam making sure I’m not seen.
Jamming means they’re covering computer tracking or sensors, I don’t need a guard on standard rounds seeing me and my dog in our superhero gear.
Dropping the duffle by the fence, I take the next twenty yards scanning.
Havoc stops and looks back like he’s annoyed with my slow.
I’m not on all fours so he can deal with my slow assed hunched down loping.
I pull my glasses out and scan along the dam.
Nothing shows so I lift a little higher above the long grass and move across the dam slowly.
Something stops me. A pin prick of color ten feet away from me.
Shaking my head, I take the glasses off and walk back toward the fence.
I put the glasses back on and see it. Pulling the glasses off, I don’t see the hotspot, so I put them on and start undressing.
I smile like a nut; the nut my Charlie’s Angel always calls me.
I need to tell her about putting the glasses on while I undress.
“You have to stay here, Brother. Whatever that is, it’s on the back, you’ll get held by the pressure or pushed right over.”
He chuffs, then sniffs my robotic.
“I’m dropping in the water and need a clean getaway plan. The one thing I know for sure is that’s with the robotic on.”
He chuffs and moves my foot closer to the water. He’s got a point. “You’re probably right. I’ll drop my coat and pocket shit over there.” I stuff the little shit in my jacket pockets. Even the inside pocket is bulging.
Hopping over to Havoc is pretty easy. I know if I get closer to the water I’m not hopping easily anywhere.
Using my hands and good foot, I sort of crabwalk into the water holding the cement lip sticking out about a foot lower than the top of the dam and slide in.
The water is cold and current isn’t too bad since this section isn’t lowered.
From here, I can see the sections lowered allowing the water to flow over the top as I’m moving closer to the yellow spot.
The current gets stronger so I use my foot and knee to hold my body away from this panel.
Before the current pushes me harder, I flip the glasses up not seeing whatever is hot.
Flipping them back down, I note distance since I’m not seeing it from six to eight feet away.
Inching my way across the cement panel isn’t as hard as I thought it would be. The lip of the cement on top and bottom fits the breath of my finger and thumb span comfortably and the water lowers the closer I get; that’s by inches but it’s lower.
My next handhold slide shows me the cable holding the device. The next panel starts with nylon rope snagged in the panel track with old ice block tongs holding what looks like an old cash box.
Me: “Nylon rope is snagged in the panel track. Ice block tongs holding a box. No wire running to the box.”
Ops Control: “Brother, I’m putting you through to Graywolf, he knows bomb.”
Me: “I won’t need him until I get the box away from the dam and I can open it. No wires are run down the rope.”